Prosecuting the mentally disordered

Eastman, Nigel; Mullins, Mark R.

doi:10.1080/09585189908402154

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This is even more complex in the case of psychiatric patients. Eastman & Mullins (1999) have suggested that criminal acts committed by patients with a mental disorder or a psychiatric history have less chance of being investigated by the police. Good communication and use of opportunities for joint training between mental health staff and police officers may reduce this complexity and assist in better implementation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Police case disposal: an introduction for psychiatrists

Bayney

Ikkos

2002

Psychiatr. bull.

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Establishment of boundaries, limit setting and safety of patients and staff are important aspects of mental health care delivery, but some psychiatric patients appear unwilling to cooperate when faced with appropriate limits. They may become involved in violence, criminal damage or public order offences. Rates of assault by in-patients against staff are increasing (Schneiden, 1993). In NHS hospitals this has been found to range from 0.15 incidents per patient per year in rural settings to 0.60 incidents per patient per year in urban hospital settings (Drinkwater & Gudjonsson, 1989). A high rate has been confirmed recently among psychiatrists (Davies, 2001).

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Police case disposal: an introduction for psychiatrists

Bayney

Ikkos

2002

Psychiatr. bull.

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“…9 Referral to the criminal justice system of mentally disordered offenders has been a contentious issue, 10 particularly where individuals are deemed to lack responsibility for their actions. 11 Nevertheless, adopting the assumption that all psychiatric patients who commit offences lack responsibility and should therefore be exempt from prosecution, lends itself to apparent justification of such behaviour in the eyes of the public, 12 undermines staff 13 and does little to facilitate prediction of further violent acts. 14 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11 Adequate and timely identification of clusters offers an opportunity to predict further incidents. We found a female preponderance of both victim and assailant, with perpetrators more likely to assault someone of the same gender, although this may be explained by the presence of same-gender wards and the gender mix of staff on these wards.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prosecution of physical assaults by psychiatric in-patients in Northern Ireland

Young¹,

Brady²,

Iqbal

et al. 2009

Psychiatr. bull.

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Aims and MethodAssaults in healthcare settings have resulted in a range of national strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of violence. This study aimed to quantify the use of prosecution of assailants as a response, and to examine what other responses were used. the responses to violent incidents in three Northern Ireland psychiatric in-patient units in the year 2003 were ascertained retrospectively.ResultsOf 245 incidents meeting the legal definition of assault, police were contacted in 10, and 1 resulted in a prosecution. Seven in-patients accounted for 30.4% of assaults. of the assaults, 46.5% were dealt with by staff using de-escalation alone.Clinical ImplicationsThese results demonstrate the infrequent reporting of such assaults to the police. A more structured approach should be taken to this important decision. Factors relating to the prosecution of assaults in psychiatric in-patient units are discussed.

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“…Miller & Maier (1987) suggest that the process of prosecution may have a positive effect on staff morale despite the effort involved. Eastman & Mullins (1999) emphasise that prosecuting patients may help increase their capacity to accept responsibility for their crime and aid future clinical risk assessment. One also should not forget that mental health staff suffer the same reactions as other victims of violence, and that ignoring this may increase the psychological trauma they experience and have a considerable impact on their health and performance at work (Engel & Marsh, 1986).…”

Section: Implications Of Legal Intervention Via the Policementioning

confidence: 99%

Managing criminal acts on the psychiatric ward: understanding the police view

Bayney¹,

Ikkos²

2003

Adv. psychiatr. treat

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Success in preventing and responding to criminal behaviours on psychiatric wards may sometimes require cooperation between mental health services and local police services. This is especially so when seeking legal remedies through the criminal justice system. This article describes police perceptions of psychiatric services and psychiatric patients. It also reviews police procedures and factors that influence their response when the police are requested to intervene following an alleged criminal act by an in-patient. A case vignette is used to highlight the causes of tensions and guide the reader through the steps that might be considered when the issue of prosecution arises.

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Prosecuting the mentally disordered

Cited by 8 publications

References 7 publications

Police case disposal: an introduction for psychiatrists

Police case disposal: an introduction for psychiatrists

Prosecution of physical assaults by psychiatric in-patients in Northern Ireland

Managing criminal acts on the psychiatric ward: understanding the police view

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